Cotton-gathering apparatus.



G. T. MERRITT.

COTTON GATHERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1911 Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1v 5 n vent oz aimerrazif G. T. MERRITT.

COTTON GATHERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1911.

1,052,361 Patented Feb.4, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 portion of the platform 1 and is closed a GEORGE '1.MEBBITT, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

COTTON -GATHERING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. Mnnmrr, a citizen of the United States,residin at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and tate of Georgia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-GatheringApparatus, of which the following is a specification. it

This invention relates to cotton gathering apparatus, and has for itsobject to provide a device of this character which may be easily andreadily moved along a row of standing plants and which is provided witha suction means and a number of suction pipes of especial design whichare adapted-to be connected with the arms of operators so that theirreceivin ends may be positioned under or about t e cotton as it hangsfrom the branches of the plants, whereby the said cot-v ton is removedby suction draft from the lants and carried to a receptacle provided orits reception. Means is provided for interrupting the suction draftthrough the said ipes at short notice, whereby the remove of the cottonfrom the plants and the movement of the same through the pipesmay bequickl checked when desired.

F or a nil understanding of the invention reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings in which Figure l is aperspective view of the apparatus showing the same in operation; Fig. 2is a vertical sectional view of part of the apparatus; Fig. 3 is a planview of part of the same; and Fig. l is a perspective view of part ofthe same.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to inthe following descriptionand indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawlugs by the samereference characters.

The apparatus includes a platform 1 which is mounted upon supportingwheels 2 and upon which is located an internal cornhustion engine oi thehydro-carbon type The platform 1 is provided with handles 4 which may beused by an operator for trundling the said platform upon its supportingwheels 2 alon a row of standing plants or to any desired point. Asuction fan 5" is mounted upon the latrorm l and is operativelyconnected with the shaft of the gins 3 in appropriate mat er c der 5 ismounted at its end upon its 1? U a t upper end by means or? detachablelid Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 27, 1911.Serial No. 835,677;

,The lower end of the cylinder 5 is open, and below the lower end of thesaid cylinder the platform 1 is provided with bag holders or hooks 7 andbelow the lower end of the said cylinder is'located a wheel supportedbag rest 8 which is connected with the platform 1 in any suitablemanner. A foraminous drum 9 is located within the cylinder 5 and isspaced from the sides thereof. The upper end of the drum 9 is closed bythe lid 6, while the lower end of the said drum 9 is normally closed bya hinged valve 10 which is adapted to swing in a downward direction whensubjected to the weight of the cot-- ton. The lower portion of the drum9 is connected with the casing of the fan 5' by means of a pipe 11, thesaid pipe being provided in its side with a relief valve 12. A rod 13 isivotally connected at one end with the relie valve 12 and-extendsbackalong the handles 4 and is rovided at its rear end with a handlegrip 14.

A pipe 15 passes through the side of the upper portion of the cylinder 5and also passes through the upper portion of the drum 9. A concentrator16 is attached to the outer forward end of the pipe 15 and'is rovidedwith a series of nipples 17. Flexile pipes 18 are slipped attheir rearends over the nipples 17 and at their forward ends are connected withflexible branch pipes 19. -The said pipes 18 and .19 may be formed fromrubber or canvas hose of suitable diameters and appropriate lengths.

The sections 19 connect with longitudinallyextensible sections 20 whichare preferably in the form of accordion-plaited tubes, and the forwardends of the sections 20 are connected with relatively rigid or metallictubes 21 by means of universal joints, indicated at 22. The sections 20are provided bands 23 which are adapted to be placed around the upperarm of an operator, and the tubes 21 are provided with hands 24 whichare adapted be placed around the wrist or lower arm of an operator. Thetubes 21 are provided with bell-mouthed receiving ends :25 at the inneredges of which may be located pron s 26.

the side of tube 21 and at t ereceiving end portion 'tllfi'ffiflif isattached a mitt 2/? is adapted to he slipped. over the hand of operatorand beyond the outer edge of which the lingers oi the op erator mayproject in order that the cotton be readily grasped directed towardPatented Feb. 4,1913.

loo

the tubes may be positioned upon the arms of an operator and at the sametime the fingers of the operator are free to direct and manipulate thecottoni'during the process of gathering the same. p

In operation, the platform 1 ismoved along a row of standing plants, ashereinbefore indicated, while the engine 3 is running. When the reliefvalve 12 is in closed; cotton grav tate's from the drum 9 into theposition and the fan 5 is being operated b the engine, suction draft iscreated throug the pipe 11 from the interior of the cylinder 5 which inturn draws the air through the open sides of the drum 9 and the pipe 15,concentrator 16 and pipes '18 and branches 19. the air is drawn throughthe tubes 21 and as the cotton is directedby the operator into thebell-mouthed receiving end 25 of the tube 21 thereby closing the samethe suction draftpulls the cotton from the stems and carries the samealong the said tubes and into the drum 9. When the cotton hasaccumulated sufiiciently upon the hinged bottom 10 of the said drum 9,it will fall by its own weight down into a bag 28 supported upon therest 8 and attached at its edges to-the hooks 7. Thus several operatorsmay be manipulating the tubes 21 about the same I or several plantsbearing cotton. When the bag 28 is filled, the operator who is propellinthe platform 1 may pull the rod 13,

where y the relief valve 12 is opened and the suction draft instead ofbeing drawn from the interior of the drum 9 will be The parts are soarranged that when the valve 10 is closed a suction is created Throughthe said branchesv through the pipe 11, and the valve 10 is held 1n aclosed'position notwithstanding the fact that the cotton accumulatesupon the valve. 'When it is desired to pass the cotton. from the drum 9'into the bag below,-

the valve 12 is opened without interrupting .the operation of theeng'ine3 or the fan 5, and, therefore, a volume of air enters the pipe 11directly from the exterior and the valve 10 swings down by gravity and.the

bag below. Therefore, it-will be seen that the provision of the valvev12 in the pipell' .is opened the valve swings down and permits thecotton to pass from the drum into n the bag.

Having thus described the invention,

what'is claimed asnew is: n

A cotton gathering apparatus comprising a platform, a cylinder mountedthereon, an engine located thereon, a suction draft means mounted uponthe latform and operatively connected. with t e engine, a pipe connectedwith the suction draft means and the cylinder at the lower part of thesidev tion draft through the cylinder, a forminous drum supported uponthe platform and concentrically located within the, cylinder and spacedfrom the same, a valve hinged to the lower end of the drum and adaptedto be held up in a closed position at the lower end of the drum "againstthe action-of gravity by suction created through the drum and adapted toswing down by the action of gravity when the suction through the drum isinterrupted, and a suction pipe passing through the cylinder andentering the upper portion of the drum.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' GEORGE T. MERRITT. [L. 5.]

Witnesses:

I W. F. FRASER, Jnssn DRAPER.

